An 18-year-old was arrested after purchasing weapons for an alleged attack on Mall of America following a two-year radicalization path.
The transaction was supposed to be the final step in a two-year plan. On Tuesday, 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud walked away from a meeting with an undercover FBI agent, an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition in his possession. Moments later, federal agents moved in and arrested him.
The arrest. confirmed by an affidavit unsealed on Wednesday. halted what authorities describe as a planned mass shooting at the Mall of America. Mohamud had specifically targeted the Hmong Arts Celebration. scheduled for October 24. telling an informant that the event was his choice because “it will be a lot of people.”.
For nearly two years. Mohamud had been in constant contact with an informant. a relationship marked by the teenager’s growing preoccupation with violence. The criminal complaint details a transition of loyalties from al Qaeda and al Shabaab to the Islamic State. His admiration for past mass-casualty events was documented in these conversations. where he praised the New Year’s Eve 2024 attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. the 2017 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. and the 2025 mass shooting at a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
When the informant attempted to dissuade him from the path he was carving, Mohamud was unequivocal. “I am 100% committed to the cause of dying for the sake of Allah only,” he replied.
During the undercover purchase. Mohamud identified himself as “an active member of ISIS.” He told the agent that his motivation was driven by his belief that the Mall of America was owned by Jews. He is now in custody. facing federal charges for purchasing a firearm to commit a crime of terrorism in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The timeline of these events shows a steady escalation: from two years of private messaging to the concrete act of acquiring high-powered weaponry. U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen and FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson are scheduled to discuss the specifics of the counterterrorism operation during a noon news conference.
FBI Mall of America Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud counterterrorism Minnesota news